This week was a normal week, in the sense that there was no theme for me to stick to. With that, I was able to take a lot more photos, which also made it a lot more difficult to choose. Once more, I’m starting to think that one of them is a cockerel. As much as I hate to say it, I think it’s Dolores; the most lady like of all three of them. She, unlike the other two, waits her turn to be fed. She is always calm and well mannered, except when picked up.

Chickens

This week, I noticed that her comb is bigger than the other two. She is a lot feistier when picked up and will not perch on the finger/hand/arm. She is very rebellious with me and Dean. Having said that, she is visibly different than the other two: her color is a big sign of that. So, it could be that Easter Eggers have differences between the different colors within the breed (hoping this is it). This is just wishful thinking as I have no scientific evidence of such. Maybe the slight difference that makes her brow, could also develop the comb faster than with the white chicks. Let me make it clear that the size of her comb is the only feature that is making me think Dolores might be a rooster and not a hen.

The bottom line is that if she is a cockerel, we will have to give her (him) away.

Consuelo is becoming more and more sociable with me. On Thursday she hopped onto the top of the pen and then to my arm. She nested (voluntarily) between my crossed arms and we went for a walk around the house. Not once did she try to fly or move out of that position (that she put herself in). She also earlier in the day, just wanted to hang out and perched on my shoulder, the same way a pirate parrot would do. And lastly, still on Thursday, I had all three out of the pen playing, she let her sisters continue playing, climbed on top of my crossed legs and then perched on my forearms while we watched them for a few minutes. Thursday was the first time I actually felt that Consuelo is truly bonding with me, and not just coming to me for food. Today I noticed how her tail feathers are starting to establish themselves. Looks like the tail is almost done (one of the pictures highlights that).

Valentina is becoming more tolerant to being picked up as she noticed it generally involved food or a fun activity. She has managed to fly to the top of the pen a couple of times (with a bit of struggle) and is interested in the fun things that happen outside the pen. If Valentina flies up, Dolores starts to chirp very loudly denouncing her loneliness.

Valentina is also going on walks (on my arm/shoulder) around the house, the same way I do with Consuelo. The trust is starting to establish, but I think I will need a lot more bread to get her to “voluntarily” come to me. Valentina has also shown signs of curiosity and companionship with me (but Dolores complains when her favorite sibling is not around).

The other thing I noticed this week is how big their feet and legs are now. They look very sturdy and solid.

Photos

The next week I probably try motion/action photos. They are very energetic and playing a lot with each other now. Having a motion week will allow me to try to capture their movement. I will try to use slower shutter speeds to capture the movement, but will also try to freeze an action in mid-execution. I’m hoping it will come out interesting.

To see the 52 Weeks of Chickens – 2nd Generation project, click here.